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Genomic innovation for crop improvement

Abstract

Crop production needs to increase to secure future food supplies, while reducing its impact on ecosystems. Detailed characterization of plant genomes and genetic diversity is crucial for meeting these challenges. Advances in genome sequencing and assembly are being used to access the large and complex genomes of crops and their wild relatives. These have helped to identify a wide spectrum of genetic variation and permitted the association of genetic diversity with diverse agronomic phenotypes. In combination with improved and automated phenotyping assays and functional genomic studies, genomics is providing new foundations for crop-breeding systems.

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Figure 1: Evolution and domestication of the common polyploid crops wheat and the genus Brassica.
Figure 2: Optimal sequencing systems for crop applications.
Figure 3: Erosion of genetic diversity in cultivated crops and its re-incorporation through genomics.
Figure 4: The assembly of haplotypes in a crop-breeding programme.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by strategic programme funding from the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) (GRO BB/J004588/1) to M.B., a BBSRC strategic LoLa award (BB/J003913/1) to M.B. and M.C. and funding from the Gatsby Charitable Foundation to K.K. and the 2Blades Foundation to B.W.

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Bevan, M., Uauy, C., Wulff, B. et al. Genomic innovation for crop improvement. Nature 543, 346–354 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature22011

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